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State-Administered Benefits Moving from COMPASS to the New Georgia Gateway Portal

March 7, 2017

Anyone receiving benefits administered through the State of Georgia — like food stamps, child support, or PeachCare for Kids — is familiar with COMPASS. Until recently, COMPASS was the online portal Georgians used for health and human services.

However, as of February 2017, PeachCare for Kids and Planning for Healthy Babies will now use Georgia Gateway to administer and manage benefits. These 2 programs are part of the Georgia Department of Community Health’s Right from the Start Medical (RSM) Assistance programs that were previously accessed through COMPASS.

When the project finishes in Summer 2017, more than 2 million cases across all programs will access and manage benefits using Georgia Gateway. Because the project is so large, the transition will happen in 3 parts:

Pilot — February 2017All Georgia citizens now access PeachCare for Kids and Planning for Healthy Babies through Georgia Gateway. Only users in Henry County (marked orange on the map) access TANF, WIC, SNAP, and CAPS through Georgia Gateway. All other users still use COMPASS to access the remaining programs.

Wave 1 Transition — Spring 2017Users in central-western and north-western portions of the state (marked light blue) will access all programs through Georgia Gateway.

Wave 2 Transition — Summer 2017All other users in the state (marked dark blue) will transition to Georgia Gateway.

Map provided by Georgia Gateway.

Right now, Henry County is the only county using Georgia Gateway for all programs. In Spring 2017, more counties will be added, and by Summer 2017, all users in the state will use Georgia Gateway.

The switch will haveno effect on eligibility requirements and all of your information will be automatically transferred from COMPASS into the new Georgia Gateway Portal.

The Georgia Gateway Portal will eventually allow individuals and organizations to apply for, manage, and renew a range of benefits administered by the State of Georgia. Georgia Gateway Portal users will also be able to monitor the status of their applications and report changes to their account information.

PeachCare for Kids

If you’re accessing your PeachCare for Kids account, as of Feb. 6, 2017, your account has been transitioned to Georgia Gateway. Just use your old case number to retrieve a new Georgia Gateway case ID to access your account.

Premiums

Premiums for February and March are waived for all PeachCare customers. That is to ensure coverage is uninterrupted during the transition. If you already paid your premium for one or both of these months, that payment will be applied to April or your next occurring due date.

Applications

If you submitted a new or renewal application before Jan. 19, 2017, it’s currently being reviewed. Be aware, if you call to check on the status of an application that was submitted prior to Jan. 19, 2017, you may be told that it’s been denied. That might not be the final result and could mean your case has not been fully processed.

If your child was already covered prior to Jan. 19, 2017, there are no changes to their status. But, if your child has not been enrolled since October 2016 or earlier, you will need to complete a new application.

Accessing Georgia Gateway

Not all benefits recipients will have access to Georgia Gateway at the same time. While PeachCare for Kids and Planning for Healthy Babies are already accessible through Georgia Gateway, other programs and people are still using COMPASS.

Not sure which category you fall under? No problem. When you go to the new Georgia Gateway homepage, based on your feedback to a few basic questions, you’ll either be directed to the new Georgia Gateway Portal or back to COMPASS.

Georgia Gateway Access for PeachCare for Kids

If you know your old PeachCare for Kids case number, you can enter it on the Georgia Gateway homepage, and you’ll get a new case ID that you can use on Georgia Gateway. You will also receive a letter in the mail with your new case number and instructions on how to setup your new Georgia Gateway account.

Still not sure how to start? Find instructions for retrieving your new Georgia Gateway Portal ID and how to setup your new account online from the Georgia Department of Community Health.

About the Author

Chelsea Stephens is the Marketing & Training Lead for Digital Services Georgia. A Georgia native herself, Chelsea enjoys writing on topics that citizens and visitors of Georgia can enjoy and learn from.

COMPASS has been replaced by Georgia Gateway. This new integrated benefits system brings together Childcare and Parents Services (CAPS); PeachCare for Kids®; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and Medicaid programs.